Reeva Steenkamp was killed hours before she was due to deliver a Valentine's
Day speech disclosing that she once endured an "abusive relationship".

The 29-year-old model was shot dead inside the home of Oscar Pistorius in the early hours of Valentine's Day. The notes of the address she would have given to Sandown High School in Pretoria have now emerged.

They show that Miss Steenkamp was going to talk about her suffering at the hands of a previous boyfriend – before she met Pistorius – and the "loss of self-worth" as a result.

"I was in an abusive relationship at the same time (his mother used to abuse him)," read the notes. She was in the relationship towards the end of her time at university in Port Elizabeth, when she also broke her back, forcing her to "learn mobility again". Her traumatic relationship caused her to leave Port Elizabeth and "move to Jozi [Johannesburg]".

"I lost a lot of self-worth during my last year in PE [Port Elizabeth] before I moved to Jozi and it took some serious soul searching to remind myself of my value in this world," reads the draft of her speech. "Being loved by others, although an amazing feeling to have the appreciation of others, does not define your place in the world," the draft continues.

Miss Steenkamp also urges the schoolchildren to "be brave, always see the positive. Make your voice heard."